Kateryna by Taras Shevchenko with illustrations by Mykola Tolmachov

Osnovy Publishing is preparing a Ukrainian classic Kateryna by Taras Shevchenko. Kateryna will appear with a new design with illustrations by Mykola Tolmachov.

Hanna Kopylova, art director at Osnovy, commented on her choice of the illustrator: «For over three years I was looking for an artist who could work on this project. It wasn’t an easy! The symbolism of depicted scenes captures the viewer’s attention immediately. I am very pleased with our collaboration! I should also add that the romantic poetry of Kateryna dictated the style of the book».

Mykola Tolmachov says that to create illustrations for Shevchenko’s poem was a challenge for him, because it was necessary to overcome the cliché about the author, who is canonized in Ukraine.

Mykola talks about the process of creating illustrations: «I was looking for images every night, I could not understand why it was so difficult to find inspiration. Probably because I perceived all characters as equally good to some extent, but none of them seemed particularly charismatic, interesting and intimate. This is my first job in book illustration».

Creating books was Mykola’s dream for a long time. When Mykola Tolmachov was 19 years old, he won a grant from the UART Foundation for Cultural Diplomacy to study in France.